


The morning after

by Bacner



Category: The Gifted (TV 2017)
Genre: AU - missing moment, Choices, Gen, Inner Circle - Freeform, Lost friends, Minor Spoilers, Morning, Regrets, post-Monsters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 14:17:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17868854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bacner/pseuds/Bacner
Summary: The morning after Lorna and Andy's escape from the Inner Circle - Reeva is having some regrets...





	The morning after

**Author's Note:**

> None of the characters are mine, but belong to their respective owners.

It was morning, and the sky was grey; last night’s thunderstorm had ended, but the sky was still overcast, and the weather in general remained windy and chilly, as it was typical for D.C. this time of the year. Reeva Payge, the current head of the Inner Circle, finally came down from her sleeping chambers, (not that she had much sleep last night due to Andy and Lorna’s great escape, but still), surveyed the Inner Circle’s cafeteria and asked herself:

“Just what is wrong with this picture?”

The answer was…simple, but multi-fold. On the right, Andy Strucker was missing. The young man lately did not talk much, but he did listen in a deep and meaningful way; Reeva did not care for the young mutant that way, but somehow, it was deeply satisfying to see someone pay attention to her properly, and not either challenge her directly, nor make snide telepathic comments between themselves, (cough). Now, however, Andy was gone, and though the silence had remained, it was a different silence, much emptier and far less satisfying.

In the center, Lorna Dane, (cough), was also missing. Reeva did not care for her very much at all; the other mutant woman somehow took it upon her to challenge Reeva on a regular basis…but somehow those arguments turned out to the Inner Circle’s benefit: by arguing with Lorna, Reeva was able to fix the initial kinks in her plans, especially after the bank-related fiasco… And now Lorna was gone and only silence was left, and it was nowhere near as good.

On the left, Esme and her sisters had remained, but they seemed to have their own problems: ever since Lorna, and especially Andy, had arrived and joined the Inner Circle, the trio began to have arguments and no longer were as smoothly in harmony as they once were. Now, it was Esme arguing with Sophie and Phoebe staying out of it (or picking sides)…only now this wasn’t the case – Sophie and Esme didn’t have anyone to argue about, the triplets were back to their old dynamic…and weren’t enjoying it as much as they thought that they would.

Reeva turned away. Yes, now the Inner Circle looked…not so much as a circle, as a circle with large chunks missing out of it, a piece of Swiss cheese instead, perhaps, but there’d been a while when it was…even more circular than it did with Andy and Lorna – when there’d been Rebecca, tweaking the metaphorical noses of Andy and Esme with her teasing and innuendo, and baby Dawn, attracting everyone’s attention to her with her fusses, even Reeva’s, (not that Reeva would admit it). And then…Rebecca was dead, and Lorna gave Dawn away for the baby’s own safety, (not that Reeva could blame her – Rebecca’s attempted assassination had been too close for success for everyone’s liking), and things…began to fall apart, and now? It was just Reeva, and the triplets, and the new recruits…and the triplets clearly had their own issues now, and the new recruits? They were just hired muscle, not suitable for anything greater at all.

“Would I do things differently if I had the chance?” Reeva muttered to herself, uncaring if anyone was eavesdropping on her right now. “Yeah, but since time travel isn’t real, all I can do is go on with my plan, because otherwise? I will have nothing.”

Therefore, she went down and had her breakfast, but like the silence around her, it was hollow and unsatisfying.

End.


End file.
